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Short filmTranscript
00:00I'm elbow-deep in a feed bucket when my phone buzzes
00:02with the kind of text that makes my stomach drop like a bad carnival ride.
00:05Jen.
00:06Your landlord's here.
00:08Says you owe two months.
00:09He's threatening eviction.
00:11Fantastic.
00:12Just what I need while I'm trying to keep Ranger,
00:14the world's most dramatic quarter horse,
00:16from acting like the hay is poisoned.
00:18I know.
00:19I mutter to him,
00:20like he's my emotional support therapist.
00:23I'm late.
00:24I'm broke.
00:24I'm tired.
00:26Join the club.
00:27He flicks an ear at me like he disapproves of my life choices.
00:30I can't deal with the landlord right now.
00:32I've got twenty horses to feed before noon,
00:34a sore back,
00:35and a budget so tight it squeaks.
00:37But the ranch owner's out of town,
00:39and I'm the only one here today.
00:41If I walk away from this job,
00:42these horses don't eat.
00:44And if they don't eat,
00:45I'm unemployed and guilty of starving innocent animals.
00:48I'd rather fight the landlord with a plastic spoon.
00:50I shove the phone in my pocket,
00:52grab the next bucket,
00:53and step into the sunlight,
00:54blinking as it hits me full force.
00:56Arizona light doesn't just shine,
00:58it slices.
00:58The sky is pure blue,
01:00the dust golden,
01:01the air sharp with hay and leather.
01:03And because the universe has a sense of humor,
01:06that's when a sleek black SUV glides up the gravel drive like it owns the ground.
01:10That's not a feed delivery,
01:11I whisper.
01:12The SUV stops.
01:14A door opens.
01:15A shoe hits gravel.
01:17Not just any shoe.
01:18Italian leather.
01:19Glossy.
01:20Criminally expensive.
01:22The kind of shoe that has never met mud.
01:23And then he steps out.
01:25Tall.
01:26Broad shoulders.
01:27Charcoal suit.
01:29A shirt so white it probably has its own security team.
01:32A silver watch that looks like it could power a small city.
01:35Tattoos peek above his collar.
01:37Black ink framing strong, sharp angles of neck.
01:40Rings glitter on his fingers.
01:42Not gaudy, but bold enough to say he's got stories.
01:44Dangerous ones.
01:46He slides on sunglasses with one hand,
01:48surveying the ranch like he's pricing it.
01:50I freeze mid-step,
01:51holding a feed bucket oversized enough to hide behind if I crouch.
01:54Nope.
01:55Probably not a good first impression.
01:57Ma'am, he says, voice smooth as a warm engine.
02:00I'm looking for Callahan Ranch's owner.
02:02Great.
02:03A suit.
02:04Here.
02:04Today.
02:05And he looks like the type who employs people with neck tattoos in legal gray areas.
02:09I'm temporarily the boss, I say.
02:12And by temporarily I mean until someone taller shows up.
02:16His lips tug at the corner.
02:17Good to know who's in command.
02:19His eyes flick to the bucket in my arms.
02:21You armed?
02:23With grain.
02:24I shake it a little.
02:25Don't tempt me.
02:27He laughs.
02:28Not a full laugh.
02:29More like a secret he lets out of its cage.
02:31I'm Adrian Santoro.
02:33My pulse trips.
02:34Santoro.
02:35As in the family the news loves to talk about.
02:38As in, owns half the West Coast.
02:41As in, mafia royalty in a bespoke suit,
02:44standing in my dust bowl of a life.
02:46I'm Harper.
02:47I say.
02:48Before my brain reminds me that giving real names to mafia men might be one of the top ten worst ideas I've had.
02:54I run the ranch today.
02:56Feed buckets.
02:57Minor emergencies.
02:58Stopping Ranger from chewing on the fence.
03:00He's the one giving you attitude?
03:03Adrian asks, tilting his head toward Ranger like he's personally offended by the horse's posture.
03:08He judges me constantly.
03:10Smart horse.
03:11Rude horse.
03:13His sunglasses hide his eyes,
03:15but I'm certain he's smiling in that restrained way of his,
03:17like he's trying not to enjoy this too much.
03:19Well, Harper, he says.
03:22I'm here because I own the loan on this property.
03:25I stop breathing.
03:26What?
03:27The ranch is in debt, he says calmly, as if announcing the weather.
03:31I bought that debt last week.
03:33And just like that, the feed bucket feels ten times heavier.
03:37So, what? I ask.
03:40You're foreclosing? Evicting us?
03:42Planning to build a luxury horse-themed resort?
03:44He steps closer.
03:46Sunlight turns the silver in his rings molten.
03:49He smells like clean cedar, warm skin,
03:51and the kind of money that has its own passport.
03:54No.
03:55He says softly.
03:56Not foreclosing.
03:58Then, after a beat.
04:00But I'm not a patient man.
04:02My heart tries to escape my ribcage.
04:04He's not threatening me.
04:06Not exactly.
04:07But every word feels like a nail being hammered into the timeline of my life.
04:11The ranch is my last job.
04:12My last chance.
04:13My last...
04:15Everything.
04:16I square my shoulders.
04:18I can get caught up.
04:19I just need time.
04:20How much time?
04:22Enough that you don't show up in a suit demanding answers.
04:24I snap, heat crackling under my skin.
04:27He lifts a brow.
04:29You're direct.
04:30You're terrifying.
04:32I've been called worse.
04:34By people who survived?
04:35He laughs again.
04:37You don't seem scared of me.
04:38You're wearing a three-piece suit in a barn.
04:41I'm too confused to be scared.
04:42And that's when I realize he's looking at me.
04:45Really looking.
04:47Not in a creepy way.
04:48In a curious way.
04:50Like he's trying to figure out which category I fall into.
04:52Liability?
04:53Entertainment?
04:54Problem?
04:55Or something else entirely?
04:56Tell me why you're late on payments.
04:58He says.
04:58Because life is a full-time bully and I'm its favorite target.
05:02I shoot back.
05:04That enough transparency for you?
05:06Not quite.
05:07I grit my teeth.
05:09I'm covering two jobs.
05:10My car barely runs.
05:11My landlord hates me.
05:12And the ranch owner hasn't paid me in three weeks.
05:15You want more?
05:16I can make a spreadsheet.
05:17He studies me with unsettling patience.
05:21I don't get involved in strangers' personal lives, he says.
05:24But since I now own this place, I'd prefer not to see it collapse.
05:30I snort.
05:31What, you gonna roll up your sleeves and help me shovel manure?
05:34If that's what it takes, he says.
05:36Though I'd ruin the suit.
05:38The way he says it, low, casual, like a secret flirt, sends a spark down my spine.
05:44Look, I mutter.
05:45I just need to finish feeding.
05:47If you want a tour or whatever land-owning mafia dons do, you'll have to follow me.
05:51Follow you?
05:52He echoes, amused.
05:54That's a first.
05:55I'm honored.
05:56I deadpan.
05:57He walks beside me across the sunlit yard.
06:00Each stride smooth, predatory, self-controlled.
06:03The horses watch him like he's a new alpha animal they're not sure about.
06:07Ranger snorts at him.
06:08Adrian stops in front of the stall, meeting the horse's gaze with absurd seriousness.
06:13Is he challenging me?
06:14He asks.
06:15That's his resting face.
06:17I have the same problem.
06:19I glance at him.
06:21Your resting face scares federal judges.
06:23That's the goal.
06:25I laugh before I can stop myself.
06:27He hears it, and something in him shifts, just slightly.
06:31A crack in the armor.
06:32A flicker of softness beneath all that control.
06:35He follows me from stall to stall, watching me work, like it's the most riveting thing
06:39in his empire.
06:41He asks about each horse by name.
06:43He pretends he isn't noticing that I limp a little on my right leg when I'm tired.
06:47He notices everything.
06:49Harper, he says gently, when I trip over a hose and catch myself.
06:53When was the last time you slept?
06:551998.
06:56So recently.
06:58I shove his shoulder lightly.
07:00You know, for a feared dawn or whatever, you're weirdly... not awful.
07:03That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me this week.
07:07A truck roars up the road.
07:08My landlord's truck.
07:10My blood ices.
07:11I know that sound.
07:12I know that temper.
07:13He's furious.
07:14And he's about to make a scene.
07:16The kind the horses feel in their bones.
07:19Adrian notices the fear I can't hide fast enough.
07:21His voice drops to something lethal and protective.
07:24Who's that?
07:25My landlord, I whisper.
07:27He's... not great.
07:30The truck skids to a stop.
07:32The man jumps out, red-faced.
07:33Harper, I told you this morning.
07:36He freezes when he sees Adrian.
07:37Everyone freezes when they see Adrian.
07:40Adrian steps in front of me.
07:41Not dramatically.
07:42Not exaggerated.
07:43Just a clean, simple claim of space.
07:45Like it's instinct.
07:47Is there a problem?
07:48He asks, voice silk around steel.
07:51The landlord's eyes widen.
07:52Recognition hits.
07:53Fear follows.
07:55N-no problem, he mutters.
07:57Just business.
07:59Good, Adrian says.
08:01Because I don't care for threats.
08:03He doesn't raise his voice.
08:05He doesn't posture.
08:06He just stands there.
08:07Sunlight glinting off his rings.
08:09Looking like something carved out of authority and quiet danger.
08:12The landlord backs up.
08:13We can talk later, Harper.
08:15You won't, Adrian replies for me.
08:18The truck speeds away in a cloud of dust.
08:20My heartbeat is a stampede.
08:22You didn't have to do that, I say.
08:24Yes, he says softly.
08:26Eyes on me instead of the road.
08:28I did.
08:29I swallow hard.
08:31So what now?
08:32Adrian steps closer.
08:34Close enough that the sunlight paints warm gold across his cheekbone.
08:37Close enough that I can smell the cedar again.
08:39Close enough that I feel the shift in the air.
08:41Now, he murmurs.
08:44You finish feeding the horses.
08:46And you?
08:47He smiles for real this time.
08:49Slow.
08:49Warm.
08:50Devastating.
08:51I stay, he says.
08:53To watch you smile again.
08:55The bucket slips in my hand.
08:56And that's the moment of no return.
09:03Adrian Santoro stays.
09:05Not for five minutes.
09:07Not for one curious walk around.
09:09He stays the entire morning.
09:11Now he's leaning on the fence like a magazine cover with a pulse.
09:13Sleeves rolled up just enough to reveal the edge of a full tattoo sleeve.
09:17Intricate black ink coiling across muscle and tan skin.
09:20Patterns like old stories and new warnings.
09:23The rings on his fingers catch the sun.
09:25Gleaming like tiny, dangerous mirrors.
09:28And every time I pass him, I feel his gaze warm across my skin, like heat rising off asphalt.
09:34I hate how good it feels.
09:36Stop looking like that.
09:37I call out from the haystack, tossing a flake into a wheelbarrow.
09:41Like what?
09:41He asks, voice dipping into a muse's danger.
09:44Like you're evaluating the ranch, or me, for acquisition.
09:48He smiles with maddening subtlety.
09:50I'm very good at acquisitions.
09:52I grip the hay tighter.
09:54Not funny.
09:55It wasn't a joke.
09:56And that right there is the problem.
09:59I can never tell where his seriousness ends and his flirting begins.
10:02The lines blur whenever he's around, smudging my good sense.
10:06By noon, I'm sweaty, dusty, dehydrated, and completely in denial about how much I notice
10:11the way his shirt clings to his body when he rolls his shoulders.
10:14I push open the tack room door and mutter,
10:17Don't follow me in here.
10:19He follows me inside.
10:21Of course he does.
10:22The sunlight pours through the wide windows, illuminating saddles, ropes, old dust motes,
10:28and one mafia Don whose presence makes the room feel ten degrees smaller.
10:32Adrian, I warn.
10:35Harper, he returns, that dry tone wrapping around my name like silk on a blade.
10:39You're limping again.
10:41It's fine.
10:43It's not.
10:44I grab a water bottle, intentionally turning my back to him, because having him watch me drink
10:49would probably incinerate my last functioning brain cell.
10:52You need to rest, he says.
10:54I need to work.
10:56You know, because of rent, food, survival, capitalism.
11:01He steps closer.
11:02You're exhausted.
11:04And you're bossy.
11:05I'm aware.
11:07He's too close now.
11:08The kind of close that makes the air feel charged.
11:10His tattoos shift when he moves, the lines morphing like living ink.
11:14I catch the glint of a serpent curling around his forearm, a tiny dagger hidden in the scales.
11:19It's not your job to monitor my oxygen levels, I say, staring at the water bottle like it's
11:23my only defense.
11:25No, he says.
11:27But someone should look after you.
11:29My chest tightens.
11:31Nobody says things like that to me, because nobody ever means them.
11:34Why are you really here?
11:36I ask, voice low.
11:38His eyes hold mine.
11:39Dark, steady, too honest for comfort.
11:42I came to tell your boss the debt needs to be brought current.
11:45A beat.
11:46Then I saw you.
11:47And?
11:48I whisper.
11:49You complicated things.
11:51Before I can reply, his phone buzzes.
11:53He glances at it, jaw tightening.
11:55His expression shifts.
11:56Softer edges sharpening into control.
11:58Trouble?
11:59I ask.
12:00Business, he says.
12:02Which usually means trouble.
12:03You need to go handle it?
12:05He pockets the phone.
12:06No.
12:07It can wait.
12:08Your entire empire can wait?
12:10For now.
12:11His gaze drifts across my face.
12:13You asked why I'm here.
12:15I'm trying to figure that out.
12:16My heart is traitorous enough to skip.
12:18But before I can drown in the way he's looking at me, a second SUV rolls up the road.
12:23Chrome bright enough to blind.
12:25I tense.
12:26Expecting company?
12:28No.
12:29He's beside me in an instant, hand hovering at my lower back.
12:32Not touching.
12:33Just a breath away.
12:35A warning of how quickly he could pull me behind him.
12:38Three men step out of the SUV.
12:40They're dressed in sun-bleached jeans, boots, and polo shirts.
12:43But everything about them screams wrong crowd.
12:46Broad shoulders.
12:47Hidden weapons.
12:48Sharp eyes.
12:49Rival family.
12:51I don't need a chart to figure it out.
12:53One of them shouts across the yard.
12:56Santoro.
12:57Heard you were sniffing around horse country.
12:59Cute.
13:00Adrian's entire body goes still.
13:01Not tense, not aggressive, just...
13:03Still.
13:04Like a predator deciding whether to strike.
13:06He steps slightly in front of me.
13:09Leave.
13:10Adrian says quietly.
13:11You have one chance.
13:13The man in the front grins.
13:14No.
13:15See, we've got a message for you.
13:17A very daylight, public, no-deniability kind of message.
13:21Adrian.
13:21I whisper.
13:23His hand brushes mine.
13:24Barely there.
13:25But enough to anchor me.
13:27Stay behind me.
13:28I'm not a vase.
13:29I hiss.
13:30I can...
13:31You're staying behind me.
13:32The rivals close in.
13:34Not guns blazing.
13:35They're not stupid.
13:36Not in daylight.
13:37Not on a public ranch with cameras and nosy neighbors.
13:40But there's tension coiled in their strides.
13:42Adrian speaks before they get too close.
13:45If you don't leave now, I won't be responsible for what happens to you, gentlemen.
13:49One scoffs.
13:51Real generous.
13:52Considering someone in your house just tried to sell us information.
13:56Adrian's jaw flexes.
13:58Who?
13:59Wouldn't you like to know?
14:01Internal betrayal.
14:02Great.
14:03Just what this story needed.
14:04More chaos.
14:06Listen.
14:06I say loudly.
14:07Stepping half beside Adrian.
14:09He shoots me a what-did-I-just-tell-you-look.
14:10I ignore him.
14:12This is a ranch.
14:13A peaceful, horse-filled, carrot-oriented environment.
14:16You all want to ruin that with your testosterone parade or...
14:18The rival smirks.
14:20She's got opinions.
14:22She has a lot of things.
14:24Adrian says.
14:25Voice dipped in quiet steel.
14:27None of them are your concern.
14:28The man turns back to Adrian.
14:31Word is, someone in your circle sold us your flight manifests.
14:34The jet schedules.
14:35Including the one you were supposed to take today, but didn't.
14:38He tilts his head.
14:40Funny timing.
14:42Adrian's silence is lethal.
14:43And heavy.
14:44And controlled.
14:46He didn't take the jet because he stayed here.
14:48Because of me.
14:49The guy continues.
14:51So, we came to see why the Don of Santoro skipped a meeting across three states and is instead...
14:55What?
14:56Playing cowboy?
14:58Adrian steps forward.
15:00Rings catching the sun.
15:01Heartbeat steady.
15:03You're on private property, he says.
15:05And wasting my patience.
15:06We're not here to fight.
15:08Just delivering the message.
15:09Someone close to you wants you grounded.
15:11Vulnerable.
15:12Predictable.
15:13The grin spreads.
15:15Looks like it worked.
15:16Then his gaze drops to me.
15:18I feel Adrian shift before I see it.
15:21A subtle, protective alignment of his body.
15:24She part of it?
15:25The rival taunts.
15:27Careful.
15:28Adrian murmurs.
15:29The man holds up his hands in mock surrender.
15:31All right.
15:32Message delivered.
15:33Consider your house compromised.
15:35They turn and walk back to the SUV.
15:37I release a breath I didn't know I was strangling.
15:40Adrian watches them leave, jaw rigid.
15:43Adrian.
15:44He turns to me.
15:45You shouldn't have stepped forward.
15:47You're outnumbered.
15:48I wasn't going to let you.
15:49You cannot, he says, voice low, intense.
15:53Put yourself between me and men like that.
15:56Says the guy who keeps throwing himself between me and everything.
15:59His expression flickers.
16:01That's different.
16:03How?
16:03Because I know what I'm doing.
16:05I laugh incredulously.
16:07So do I.
16:08No.
16:09He says, stepping closer.
16:11You're brave in ways that will get you killed.
16:13He isn't yelling.
16:14He isn't scolding.
16:15His voice is steady.
16:16Quiet.
16:17Roughened by something I can't name.
16:19Fear?
16:20No.
16:21Control cracking?
16:22Maybe.
16:23You could have gotten hurt, he adds.
16:26You could have too.
16:27That's irrelevant.
16:29Well, it's relevant to me.
16:31Silence folds around us.
16:33Warm daylight.
16:34Dust moats drifting.
16:35Horses watching us like they're taking notes.
16:37Then he exhales slowly, dragging a hand through his hair.
16:41The movement makes his rings glint, and the tattoos along his forearms swirl like inked shadows.
16:46There's a traitor in my house, he says.
16:49And now rival families know where I am,
16:51who I skipped a meeting for,
16:53and exactly what I'm willing to protect.
16:55My stomach dips.
16:57Me?
16:58Yes.
16:59My voice catches.
17:00You shouldn't have stayed.
17:01I know.
17:02But you did.
17:03He searches my face like the answer is written in freckles I don't have.
17:06I did.
17:08The admission hits the air like a confession.
17:10I swallow.
17:12So, what now?
17:14You go handle your empire and I go back to feeding horses?
17:18No, he says softly.
17:19You're not staying here alone.
17:22Not with your landlord circling.
17:24Not with rival families prowling.
17:25And not while someone's selling my movements.
17:28I'm not going to your penthouse.
17:30I shoot back.
17:31He smirks faintly.
17:33I wasn't offering.
17:35Then what?
17:36You're coming with me to the estate outside the city.
17:38It's secure.
17:39Private.
17:40Neutral ground.
17:42That sounds like the beginning of a kidnapping.
17:43That sounds like the beginning of me making sure you don't end up collateral damage.
17:48I cross my arms.
17:49You can't just decide that.
17:51Yes, he says, stepping closer.
17:53I can.
17:54Adrian.
17:54I'm not asking, he says.
17:56Not harsh.
17:57Not domineering.
17:58Just... certain.
18:00You're in this now.
18:01I stare at him.
18:02Heartbeat in my throat.
18:04Why?
18:04I whisper, suddenly unsteady.
18:06Why protect me?
18:08I'm a ranch worker with overdue bills and a busted car.
18:11His answer is bare and startling.
18:12Because I don't want to leave you behind.
18:15Sunlight spills over him like a spotlight.
18:17And everything I thought I understood tilts.
18:20The danger isn't just around us anymore.
18:22It's between us.
18:23Say yes, Harper.
18:24He murmurs.
18:25Let me get you out of here.
18:26Let me keep you safe.
18:28My world shrinks to the space between our hands.
18:30My voice is soft.
18:32Terrified.
18:32Honest.
18:34Okay.
18:35Because I already know.
18:36There's no going back.
18:38Adrian's estate sits outside Phoenix like it's sprouted out of ambition and concrete
18:42dreams.
18:43Sprawling white stone.
18:45Glass walls gleaming in the sunlight.
18:47Desert stretching around it like a natural fortress.
18:49I step out of his SUV and whisper.
18:52Your house looks like it pays taxes in a different bracket than the rest of us.
18:56It does.
18:58Adrian says dryly, pocketing the keys.
19:00It files jointly with my jet.
19:03I roll my eyes, trying very hard not to be impressed.
19:06Or intimidated.
19:07Or aware of how close he stands behind me.
19:10One hand hovering at my back like he's guiding me even when he's not touching me.
19:14Come inside, he says.
19:15We'll talk after I get the report.
19:18Report?
19:19He gives me a look.
19:20Harper.
19:21Someone tried to ground me.
19:23Someone in my own circle.
19:24You don't think I'm going to run an internal investigation?
19:27Right.
19:28Mafia Don.
19:29Real world stakes.
19:30I need to stop forgetting that just because he acts soft around me sometimes, the world
19:34he lives in is made of razor edges.
19:36He walks ahead, and sunlight catches the metal of his rings, the ink on his arms, the tension
19:42in his shoulders.
19:43He's not calm.
19:44He's contained.
19:45Which is somehow worse.
19:47Inside, the house is bright, full of glass and air and expensive silence.
19:52I stand awkwardly in the living room while he talks to three of his men in the foyer,
19:55all tattooed, all wearing expressions like they could handle a wildfire with good posture.
20:00Adrian's voice is quiet enough that I can't hear every word, but I catch fragments.
20:05Manifests.
20:06Betrayal.
20:07Internal leak.
20:09Rivals already visited.
20:10Not acceptable.
20:12His temper isn't loud.
20:13It's precise, like a scalpel slid into the heart of a problem.
20:17One of the men glances at me.
20:18I stiffen.
20:20Adrian catches it instantly.
20:21Eyes on me, he says sharply.
20:23The guy jerks his gaze away.
20:25And I...
20:26don't hate how that felt.
20:28Eventually, Adrian dismisses them and comes back to me,
20:31loosening the top button of his suit jacket.
20:33You good?
20:34I ask, voice lighter than I feel.
20:37No.
20:38He brushes a hand through his hair, tattoos shifting with the motion.
20:42But we don't have time to pretend otherwise.
20:45Tell me.
20:47He meets my eyes with a severity that makes my breath snag.
20:50It's worse than we thought.
20:51They didn't just get flight times.
20:54They got routes, meeting locations, cargo lists.
20:57Someone inside my top circle has been feeding a rival family for months.
21:00That's not... small.
21:03No.
21:04He exhales, slow and controlled.
21:06And I stayed with you yesterday instead of taking that jet.
21:09Because of me, I whisper.
21:11Because of you.
21:12He confirms.
21:13There's no accusation in his voice.
21:15Just truth.
21:17You're alive because you did, I say.
21:19Whatever trap they set, you avoided it.
21:21Luck isn't a strategy.
21:23No, but reacting is.
21:26He studies me with those dark, unreadable eyes.
21:28And then...
21:29Footsteps thunder through the hallway.
21:31One of his men bursts back in.
21:33Dawn.
21:34We've got movement at the front gate.
21:35Black vans.
21:36Four of them.
21:37Adrian's whole body goes rigid.
21:39Rival family?
21:40I ask.
21:41Or the traitor, he says.
21:43I swallow hard.
21:44And we're here.
21:45In your house.
21:46With windows everywhere.
21:47Harper, he says, stepping toward me.
21:49Go to the back room.
21:50Stay low.
21:51No.
21:52Now he looks exasperated.
21:54Not the time.
21:55I'm not hiding.
21:56You need to...
21:57I step closer, poking a finger into the center of his chest.
22:01Hey.
22:01You didn't let me be collateral yesterday.
22:03I'm not letting you play hero alone today.
22:06His jaw flexes in frustration.
22:08You are the most stubborn woman.
22:09And you like it.
22:11A sound escapes him.
22:12Half groan, half laugh.
22:15Unbelievable, he mutters.
22:17But he doesn't push me away.
22:19He takes my hand and pulls me behind him as we walk toward the front terrace.
22:22Outside, the sunlight glints off metal.
22:25Four vans parked just beyond the gate.
22:27Men spill out, wearing the casual desert clothing that hides weapons and trouble.
22:32No guns raised.
22:33Not yet.
22:34This is a daylight confrontation.
22:36Not a shootout.
22:38Adrian steps out onto the terrace, hand subtly brushing behind him to keep me shielded.
22:43One of the rival men calls out.
22:45Santoro.
22:46Long way from your tower.
22:47We figured you'd appreciate a house call.
22:50Adrian's voice is a blade.
22:52You're trespassing.
22:53We came with good intentions, the rival says with a smile that lies.
22:57Wanted to talk.
22:59Talk, Adrian echoes unimpressed.
23:01Or taunt.
23:02Depends on your mood.
23:04They spread out in a half circle.
23:06His men line up behind him.
23:08Sunlight beats down on all of us.
23:10No shadows.
23:11No hiding.
23:12Every expression is perfectly visible.
23:14The rival leader steps forward.
23:16We hear you've got a leak.
23:18Someone close.
23:18Very close.
23:20Adrian's eyes narrow.
23:21The man continues.
23:23Thought we'd help you identify him.
23:25Generosity isn't your family trait.
23:27No.
23:28The man laughs.
23:29But irony is.
23:30He snaps his fingers.
23:32A fifth man exits one of the vans.
23:34Wrists zip-tied.
23:35Lip-bleeding.
23:36Face-battered.
23:37One of Adrian's men gasps.
23:39Don!
23:39It's Marco!
23:41Adrian freezes.
23:42Just for a fraction.
23:43But I see it.
23:45Marco.
23:46One of his trusted.
23:47One who greeted us at the gate.
23:49He sold your manifests.
23:51The rival explains cheerfully.
23:53Sold your roots.
23:54Sold everything he could wrap his greedy hands around.
23:57Marco spits blood onto the pavement.
23:59You were getting weak, Adrian.
24:00Sentimental.
24:02Adrian's voice goes ice cold.
24:04I trusted you.
24:05You trust her too.
24:06Marco sneers, tilting his head toward me.
24:09That's the problem.
24:11A low, dangerous murmur goes through Adrian's men.
24:14But Adrian doesn't explode.
24:15He doesn't curse.
24:17He doesn't even blink quickly.
24:19He simply steps forward into the sunlit courtyard, every inch of him calm and terrifying.
24:24Let me guess.
24:25He says quietly.
24:27You told him about the jet.
24:28About the flight I skipped.
24:31Marco smirks.
24:32Didn't think skipping a meeting for a ranch girl would save your life, did you?
24:36Harsh laughter from the rivals.
24:38My stomach twists.
24:39But my spine stays straight.
24:42Adrian glances back at me.
24:43Just a flicker.
24:44But enough to say don't react to him.
24:47The rival leader lifts a hand.
24:49We're returning your traitor.
24:50Consider it a peace gesture.
24:52Adrian raises a brow.
24:54You expect me to believe you didn't break him only to deliver false intel?
24:57No false intel, the rival says.
25:00We're doing you a favor.
25:01You get to decide what to do with him.
25:03Then we leave.
25:05Adrian steps closer.
25:06Slow.
25:06Measured.
25:07Sunlight reflecting off his rings.
25:09I decide?
25:10Adrian asks softly.
25:12Yeah, the rival says, shrugging.
25:14In front of her.
25:15And us.
25:16Show us what kind of Don you really are.
25:19This is the test.
25:20The knife-edge moment.
25:22The rival squints.
25:23You're serious?
25:24Yes.
25:26Adrian's voice is absolute.
25:27I'm done letting traitors decide the kind of man I am.
25:30And he's not worth the blood it would cost me.
25:32Marco screams curses.
25:34As the rivals drag him back toward the van.
25:36The rival leader studies Adrian.
25:38Didn't think you'd go that route.
25:40Makes you unpredictable.
25:42That's the idea.
25:43The rival smirks.
25:45Until next time, Santoro.
25:47They load Marco in and peel away down the long desert road.
25:50Silence blooms behind them.
25:52Adrian stands still for several seconds, letting the weight of the decision settle.
25:55His men look stunned.
25:57Maybe relieved.
25:58Maybe shaken.
25:59He finally turns to me.
26:01His chest rises.
26:02Falls.
26:03And he walks toward me slowly.
26:04Like each step is a choice.
26:06You okay?
26:08I ask quietly.
26:09No.
26:10He says.
26:10But I will be.
26:12His voice is stripped of all armor.
26:14He looks down at me.
26:14Sunlight reflecting in his eyes.
26:16I chose not to be the man they expect.
26:18And you think that makes you weak?
26:20I ask.
26:21No.
26:22He swallows.
26:23It makes me afraid.
26:24Because now I'm choosing things for me.
26:26Not the Empire.
26:28Meaning.
26:29You.
26:29He says.
26:30Simple.
26:31Bare.
26:31Honest.
26:32The word hits like a sunrise cracking open the sky.
26:35You stayed for me.
26:36You risked things for me.
26:37You chose a different path for me.
26:39My voice wavers.
26:41Adrian.
26:41That's...
26:42Dangerous.
26:43He finishes softly.
26:44But right.
26:46He reaches for my hand.
26:47Slow.
26:48Giving me every chance to pull away.
26:50I don't.
26:51Our fingers lace.
26:52Warm.
26:53Solid.
26:54Unmistakable.
26:55I can't promise you a peaceful life.
26:57He says.
26:58But I can promise you daylight.
26:59No hiding.
27:00No shadows.
27:01If you want to walk beside me.
27:03I step closer until his forehead nearly brushes mine.
27:06You didn't save my life today.
27:07You changed it.
27:09And you changed mine.
27:10He murmurs.
27:11I smile.
27:12Small.
27:13Real.
27:14Unstoppable.
27:15So what happens now?
27:16I ask.
27:18He lifts my hand to his lips.
27:19Kissing the inside of my wrist with a softness that knocks the air from my lungs.
27:23Now.
27:24He says.
27:25Eyes warm and wicked and full of sunlit certainty.
27:28I take you back to the ranch you love.
27:30And we rebuild it together.
27:32You planning to buy it?
27:33I already did.
27:35What?
27:35I squeak.
27:37He smirks.
27:38Consider it my first investment.
27:39In us.
27:40I shove his chest playfully.
27:42You can't just.
27:44I can.
27:45He says.
27:46And I will.
27:47But why?
27:48He silences me with a look so tender and intense my knees nearly give out.
27:52Because the first time I saw you smile.
27:54He says.
27:55I forgot I was supposed to be dangerous.
27:58Sunlight spills over us.
27:59Warm.
28:00Bright.
28:01Unforgiving.
28:01And perfect.
28:01I lift his hand and kiss his knuckles.
28:04Ring by ring.
28:06Okay.
28:07Don Santoro.
28:08I whisper.
28:09Show me what a new life looks like.
28:11His smile is slow.
28:12Lethal.
28:13Beautiful.
28:14Only if you stay right beside me.
28:17Count on it.
28:18And just like that.
28:20Our story steps into pure daylight.
28:22Hey love.
28:23If this sun-drenched mafia romance made your heart do that dangerous little flip, tap like,
28:27drop a comment, and hit subscribe so you never miss the next daylight bright, high-tension
28:31love story.
28:32Your reactions keep these worlds alive, so don't hold back.
28:36I'm right here.
28:37Building the next wild sexy.
28:39I can't believe he said that in broad daylight chapter for you.
28:41I can't believe he said that in broad daylight chapter for you.
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